Sereni said that since the Marquis’ house was like a passage for the Alliance of Small Kingdoms, if the private meeting took too long, those who were watching would find it suspicious.

In response, Erina promised to invite Sereni to the Count’s house under the pretext of auction items, scheduling their next meeting, and left the reception room.

“Erina.”

Heila, worried about what might have happened in the reception room where no conversation could be heard, carefully examined Erina.

Though not overtly staring, her eyes moved quickly here and there, indicating she was quite concerned.

“Let’s go, Heila.”

Noticing Erina’s attempt to be reticent, Heila hurriedly moved to follow her.

Quite some time must have passed, as there were more people gathered in the garden than when Erina had arrived.

She saw familiar faces and those she had exchanged greetings with before.

As Erina entered the garden, several nearby people started to approach her to greet her.

But at that moment, a nobleman ascended a podium set up in one part of the garden.

“I greet the distinguished guests who have attended this charity party. I will be in charge of the auction for this charity event.”

The nobleman on the podium bowed politely to the right and left as he proceeded with the auction.

“Before we begin the auction, we will have a greeting from the Marchioness of Borbom.”

As the nobleman finished speaking and descended from the podium, Sereni slowly ascended.

Erina observed Sereni from a distance.

Sereni’s clean and pale face, as if she had never cried, was brighter and more radiant than when they had met in the reception room.

Despite Sereni mentioning she was with child, her thin body showed no signs of it, suggesting she had only recently found out.

“Thank you for taking your precious time to attend this charity party.”

Many focused on Sereni’s words.

“Thanks to the release of mana stones in the market, this auction features many particularly precious items.”

Sereni met the gaze of each of the numerous onlookers, until she spotted Erina staring at her intently.

Upon making eye contact with Erina, Sereni smiled brightly and said,

“I would like to greet someone who has greatly contributed to bringing out good items. Countess Erina Brill Medelia.”

As Sereni gestured toward Erina, all eyes in the garden turned to her, standing at the very back.

Erina, surprised that Sereni would mention her, opened her eyes wide.

“Thank you, thanks to you we will be able to help many children.”

People applauded Erina in response to Sereni’s words of gratitude.

Erina, caught off guard by the sudden ovation, could only manage an awkward smile.

“Now, we will proceed with the auction.”

Sereni finished her greeting and descended from the podium, and the nobleman in charge of proceedings ascended to start the auction.

As seemed to be the custom for auctions, it began with small items that didn’t particularly catch the eye.

Amidst the ongoing auction, there was someone who joined the charity party belatedly.

Rose, wearing a red dress matched with bright red silk gloves reaching her elbows, quietly entered the garden.

Rose, who had entered from the opposite direction of Erina, scanned the crowd with a pale face.

Bellodi and Tanya, who happened to be standing nearby, quietly called out to Rose upon noticing her.

“Lady Asila.”

“Lady Papia, Lady Anzl.”

Rose approached Tanya Papia, the Marquis’ daughter, and Bellodi Anzl, the Count’s daughter, who had unnecessarily explained things to her at the celebration party.

“This item is the rare Meuang herb found only in the Kingdom of Trumto!”

As the auction proceeded steadily, Bellodi and Tanya greeted Rose warmly, standing a step apart from the others.

“You still seem to be in poor health, Lady Asila. Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

At Tanya’s kind words, Rose forced a faint smile.

“My health… doesn’t improve as easily as effort, unfortunately.”

Bellodi and Tanya regarded Rose with pity, as fragile as a flower that might wilt at the slightest touch.

“This Meuang herb, found only on cliffs, is known to be excellent for insomnia.”

At the mention of insomnia, Bellodi briefly glanced at the podium before looking away.

Seeing this, Rose’s eyes flashed momentarily before dimming.

“I heard rumors circulating in the Imperial Palace.”

The Anzl Count’s family, with their large trading company, had many business connections and were quick to hear rumors.

Bellodi enjoyed conversing with those of her rank and often shared the rumors she had gathered with Tanya and Rose.

“What rumors?”

As Bellodi broached the topic, Tanya, seemingly curious, asked.

“They say Marquis Kerenik and Countess Medelia are lovers!”

At these words, Rose and Tanya’s faces subtly stiffened.

Rose’s gaze turned towards Erina, standing and sparkling in the distance.

While Rose suffered, wearing unwanted gloves to cover her growing wounds in an attempt to regain her memories.

The wounds would become damp and fester, often stinging due to the constant irritation from the gloves.

In contrast to her own struggles, the sight of the radiant Erina made her feel bitter.

“I heard they met through the mana stone mining business. Couldn’t the rumors have started because they worked together?”

At Tanya’s rebuttal, Rose turned her gaze from Erina to look at Tanya’s face.

It seemed to have stiffened for a different reason than her own.

“I heard they openly embraced each other in the Imperial Palace!”

At Bellodi’s words, Tanya’s expression turned cold, though she seemed to be forcing herself to smile.

Rose noticed from Tanya’s expression that there was something about this conversation that affected her.

“I haven’t heard anything about that.”

Tanya’s father was the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Marquis Tatia spent a lot of time in the Imperial Palace and often relayed palace gossip to Tanya faster than anyone else.

But Tanya had never heard anything like what Bellodi was saying.

“Is that so? I heard it wasn’t just one or two nobles who saw them.”

Rose’s mind raced quickly.

She tried to deduce why Tanya might find this conversation unpleasant.

Since Tanya didn’t usually hate Erina, it wouldn’t be the same feeling of hatred Rose had for Erina.

Then it must be a reaction to the mention of Marquis Kerenik and Erina being lovers.

Rose recalled Tanya saying earlier, with a shy smile, that she was considering sending a marriage proposal to the Kerenik household.

Noticing Tanya’s feelings towards Sandes, Rose struggled to suppress the corners of her mouth from rising.

Erina had not only taken the mana stone mine but also seemed intent on stealing everyone’s love and attention.

Rose thought it might be quite thrilling to take back the attention of those Erina had stolen, one by one.

“Oh my.”

As Rose let out a regretful sigh, Bellodi and Tanya looked at her.

Thinking she had drawn their attention, Rose forcefully suppressed her twisting lips and spoke quietly.

“It seems Marquis Kerenik is being deceived as well.”

“Pardon?”

“What do you mean by that?”

At Rose’s words, Bellodi and Tanya stepped closer to her and asked quietly.

“I’ve been quiet out of caution about speaking in the absence of the person concerned, but…”

“This item is a fabric that can only be made in the Kingdom of Smale, with beautiful patterns engraved on it.”

As Rose trailed off, the auction for the next item began.

At this, Bellodi and Tanya looked at Rose with even more curious expressions.

“It’s such a pity that people think of Countess Medelia as a kind and generous person.”

Rose placed one hand on her cheek and tilted her head, directing her gaze at Erina who was watching the auction from afar.

Bellodi and Tanya’s gazes followed suit.

They saw the beautiful Erina busily whispering with those around her.

“In truth, you should know how narrow-minded and jealous the Countess is.”

“Lady Asila, did something happen between you and Countess Medelia?”

When Bellodi asked the question Rose had been hoping for, she seized the opportunity to speak.

She interpreted her encounters with Erina as she wished, fabricating memories and freely sharing provocative stories.

Bellodi and Tanya’s faces were colored with shock as they listened to the story.

Unaware of how her story was circulating in one place, Erina felt perplexed by the people trying to engage her in conversation.

“This concludes the first part of the auction. We will proceed with the second part shortly!”

With the announcer’s declaration, maids and servants waiting around the garden approached with trays of champagne.

Thanks to this, Erina was able to distance herself from unwanted conversations.

As Erina moistened her throat with champagne received from a servant, Terik, who had been watching the auction from afar, approached her.

“My lady, Lady Asila has joined belatedly.”

At Erina’s instruction to keep an eye on the Asila family, Terik had been observing Rose.

“She is conversing with Lady Tanya Papia and Lady Bellodi Anzl over there.”

Terik spoke to Erina without directing his gaze towards Rose.

While sipping champagne, Erina briefly glanced sideways at the three women who seemed busy conversing with each other.

Seeing the three looking quite serious, Erina turned her gaze away.

“They seem to be frequent acquaintances.”

“Judging by how often they glance at you during their conversation, I suspect they are talking about you, my lady.”

Erina slowly drank the sparkling champagne, picturing Rose in her bright red dress and gloves.

It seemed she was struggling desperately to regain her memories.

Before the regression, Rose had never worn gloves in her memories.

Amidst all this, she seemed to be floundering, not wanting to lose the attention and evaluation of others.

Swirling the nearly empty champagne glass, Erina smiled gently.

No matter what Rose did, nothing would fall into her hands.

Because Erina would make sure of that.